Project leaders: A. Dejean (CNRS Guyane) & R. Boulay (CSIC - Station Biologique de Doñana)

Although the word "biodiversity" describes all living forms on earth and their associations, the main theories explaining biological diversity often confer limited understanding of interspecific interactions. More specifically, within ecosystems, each species is connected to one or several other species by mutualistic or antagonistic interactions that constitute networks. Our proposal (2ID) addresses the role of these interspecific relationships in the maintenance of the planets biodiversity.

By studying three cases of mutualistic interactions within the Guianian rainforest (entomophilous pollination; protection mutualisms of plants by ants; and three-way mutualistic interactions between Bromeliads, various ant species and the micro-organism living in the reservoir of these plants), we will answer the following three questions: (i) what is the structure (nested or compartmentalized) of these networks? (ii) Does this structure vary geographically? (iii) Can this structure be explained by species composition of local communities and/or species functional traits?